A wide variety of poles and posts are used throughout the world, including lighting poles, electrical, telephone and cable supports and numerous other poles of many different types. Some of these poles are installed by placing a portion of the lower end of the pole in a hole in the ground and filling the remaining space in the hole with soil, concrete or another suitable material. Many wooden poles are installed using this method in which a portion of the pole is buried in the ground. Other poles and similar structures are intended for installation with the lower end of the pole resting on a separate base, the top of which may be positioned at ground level or above ground level. Metal lamp posts are but one of many such poles, posts and other structures frequently installed on a separate, typically concrete, base.
Many poles or posts intended for installation on top of a base or support have attached to the bottom of the pole a horizontal square flange or other structure with a “square” or “rectangular” arrangement of four holes, with one hole near each of the four corners of the flange or other structure. This provides four fastening holes arranged at the corners of a square so that each hole is equally distant from each of the other two holes adjacent to it. Each of the holes may be located, for instance, in a foot or boss protruding from the side or end of the pole or a flange secured to the lower end of the pole.
Such a pole is typically installed by securing the flange or other pole-terminating structure with four studs, bolts or other fasteners: (a) protruding vertically from the concrete base and up through the flange or other structure or (b) passing down through the holes in the pole base plate or other structure and into the concrete base. Where studs, pins, bolts or the like are positioned to be received in the holes in the pole base plate or other hole-containing structure, the fasteners must be located carefully during preparation of the base or foundation in order to insure that the fastener spacing matches the locations of the holes in the pole flange or other hole-containing structure. Each stud, pin, bolt or the like is usually the upper end of a long rod or is attached to such a rod or other anchor that extends well down into the base or foundation on which the pole is to be installed.
Many pole bases are designed for a specific pole mounting configuration and are not compatible with any other pole mounting configurations. Further, if one or more studs protruding from a concrete base is sheared off, as often happens when a motor vehicle collides with a pole mounted on such a concrete base, replacement of the pole may be difficult because of the difficulty of attaching new studs to the concrete base.
In certain situations, it may be desirable for a pole base to include a robust modular mounting system capable of accepting various fastener sizes and compatible with various pole flange configurations.